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Chicago, IL

August 5 - August 7

2011

Were you at Lolla 2011?

We want to hear from you — share your best Lolla story below!

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Why I will never forget my 3 days at Lolla 2011

by Ryan Ratliff on apr 11, 2012

On the third day of Lolla 2011, we brought 3 of my friends kids with us- Maddox, Maddie, and Nathan! My ticket was a gift from... More

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3 Days / 3 Beards, Beardapalooza 2011!!!

by Kurt Cruse on may 15, 2012

DAY 1: FULL BEARD (nice and fluffy too) After months of growth and training, my face friend and I set off for the first day of... More

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I turned 20 years old, and so did Lollapalooza.

by mtang.14 on may 15, 2012

I came to the United States in 2010 as an international college student. Last year was quite groundbreaking to me. I turned... More

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My Love Affair With Lollapalooza 2011

by Jon Bonham on may 15, 2012

This trip all began with music. In the midst of it all, it included encounters with new friends and new memories that will last... More

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The Thing About Weather (It's Ordinary)

by L RAGLAND on may 27, 2012

There’s a reason I know how the guy standing in another corner of Grant Park felt like on August 7, 2011. We like to joke about the banality of conversations geared towards the state of the weather and how sunshine is the preferred state of things…and I can tell you that we had our fair share of sun--but rain was our hero in 2011. After driving in from Ohio, I shared a first kiss with my (now) husband under the inflatable yellow moon during Pearl Jam’s 2007 performance, shared a late-night bus ride with a group of giddy transports as thousands of Lolla-goers epically poured out on to Michigan Avenue in 2008 and in 2011, I shared a plot of grass with a complete stranger only to nap away the entire Crystal Castles set (I still heard the music in my dreams). But those are all scattered and singular moments that only a few can recall the same as me. The fantastic and simple thing about the storms that washed over Grant Park on Sunday was that we ALL experienced the anticipation, the downpour and the aftermath. After a weekend of consulting schedules, sending texts to scattered friends and choosing sometimes painstakingly which bands to see over others, it ceased to matter what we had planned for the day. Clothes, soaked. Makeup, washed away since the first wave of rain. There was no choice but to be in the moment and know exactly why you were standing in front of that stage, or dancing under that tent. I’d like to point out that in this next scene, someone was standing ankle-deep in mud, on crutches with a foot cast. “F**k! You can’t even see the skyline.”, exclaimed a guy behind us during the Foo Fighters set. We turned around and watched the storm approach one more time, take over the crowd and then take over the stage. In that moment, I felt lucky to be sharing it with so many people I didn’t know, including the band who had us trying to out-drown the sound of the storm with our lungs, screaming THERE GOES MY HERO as water filled our mouths and our eyes. Where were you during that last downpour? Rain was the one show that none of us missed at Lollapalooza 2011, and I love that it was something so ordinary.

Like 18 likes

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Wet Mi5e

by Jessica Marina Lopez on may 15, 2012

So imagine if you will, it was a very rainy Sunday. Our group has been torn apart by the heavy rainfall. We're having a blast at Perry's watching people literally rolling around in the mud, throwing mud-balls at their friends, and dancing around like maniacs. The rain finally calms down and it's about 7:45 ish. So me and the few friends i still had start heading over to Deadmau5, you know to beat the crowd. We're walking, super tiredly, down the middle of the sidewalk that comes directly from the fountain, a good 20 feet from the street that keeps us from the field, and the rain starts falling lightly. Deadmau5, the awesome guy that he is, decides to start playing music to this rain. And I never felt any less tired than I did at that moment. Everyone forgot everything and started jogging, skipping, dancing, and frolicking their way over to the field! It was an epic moment of awesome, to say the least. We find a few friends, and we start run-dancing our way through the massive amounts of mud, pushing our way as close as we could. Sure enough we lost each other again and it's just me. And the music was thumping and tracks we know and love are bumpin, and everyones singing and dancing. Even complete strangers start dancing with each other, and this one guy gave me a lift so I could see better( and the lights were amazing) "Deadmau5 in the rain".... what more can I say.

Like 15 likes

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If it's warm, it is most likely not rain...

by Brad Candia on may 20, 2012

Lollapalooza 2011 was filled with so many great acts and experiences that it is hard to narrow it down to just one. But the story that continues to populate my mind was the final show on the final night of the festival. It had been raining off and on when we showed up to the last day of the festival, and I was most excited about seeing Deadmau5 perform. I waited in line at the FYE tent for an autograph when the first torrential downpour came down on us! I scrambled to find something to cover my camera gear and keep myself somewhat dry while in line. That first downpour was the first of what was to come. It was finally night time and the rain had let up long enough for me to secure my spot at the gate of the blockade where my brother in law had been posted up all day. We talked about Deadmau5 and about all the other acts who we enjoyed. Then, Deadmau5 walked out onto the stage and the crowd erupted in noise! I had my camera out ready to get pictures and the crowd pushed forward trying to get as close as they could. All of a sudden, as if he had a magical switch, Deadmau5 started playing and the rain came down hard!!! Everyone was all over the place, jumping up and down with excitement for the Mau5 and also just letting free in the rain!! Apparently some people had been securing their spots for too long in the crowded field. We were there smashed against the barricade with the crowd getting amped all around when I realized the rain water washing down my entire body was no longer cool on my leg... The weather in Chicago was nice and not too hot at the time due to prior rain. When I felt the warmness of liquid on my leg, I looked at my brother in law to see if he felt the same thing and realized the wetness was likely not rain, but someone peeing down my leg!!! It was so crowded and we were being pushed so hard, I couldn't even fully turn around to figure out who the culprit was. I was more concerned with keeping my camera dry and making sure no one tried to weasel into my spot. After being grossed out about being peed on, I just told myself the rain would wash it away and the set being thrown down by Deadmau5 was so awesome that I was ok with holding my ground! There are not many stories that can top being peed on, and I am glad that it occurred in the rain at least while I was having an awesome time! If it had been any other time, we would definitely have had an issue. :)

Like 14 likes

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A Little Brother's Wishes That Lead Me to Meeting Dave Grohl and Matt Bellamy

by Alex McQuiston on may 23, 2012

Please watch the video, it encompasses the below text and adds some more incredible Lollapalooza 2011 moments I experienced. So after a lot of planning and consideration, my brother and I decided to go to Lollapalooza before he enlisted in the Navy in September. We had to be there because the Foo Fighters were going to be there, but more importantly, Death From Above 1979 were reunited and ready to rock Chicago. DFA1979 was one of those bands that me and my brother bonded over, and they were just obscure enough for us to feel like we were in our own little music club together. Then we get the bummer of all bummers. His deployment date was moved to August. So now it was just me, but I was determined to be there. Armed and ready for my first first festival all by my lonesome, I stormed the Lolla gates at soon as they opened on Friday. As luck would have it, I won a VIP wristband through a scavenger hunt early in the day, so my Friday was all the more sweeter. I won two actually, but seeing as I was there by myself, I gave the extra one to the nearest person to me. I bet his Friday was pretty sweet too. Eventually Muse starts, and I rush to the stage. As I try to make my way through the crowd to get up front, I quickly realized I wasn't the only Muse fan in Grant Park. There was no way I was getting up front. So I mustered the courage to attempt my first crowd surf, and my god, that was surreal. As I tumbled my way closer and closer to Muse, I had to keep reminding myself that this was all real. Eventually the security people grabbed me and told me to "get outta 'ere", and as I made my way out, one last security guard tells me to go right. I went left. For full disclosure, I had been enjoying the hospitably that the VIP area offered all day, so I had a few drinks in me. This quick spark of courage that had me crowd surfing and defying security guards lead me back stage (pictures in the video), and after some very confident head nods, I was in the friends and family section watching Muse. As Muse took a pause before their encore, I decided it was about time for me to get back to normalcy, so I went down the catwalk and I bumped into Muse. Really. I managed to squeak out a "GREAT SHOW GUYS!" and Matthew Bellamy personally thanked me. I was shocked. I definitely had a hard time sleeping that night. On Saturday, I won the scavenger hunt again, and enjoyed another day of VIP perks. Knowing that DFA1979 was playing that day, I didn't waste any time securing my spot up front on the rail. I was incredibly fortune that a sponsor was loaning out video cameras, so I recorded the entire DFA1979 show for my brother. Almost a year later, he still watches those shaky handheld videos religiously. As the big brother, I feel so enriched that I could finally do something to repay my little brother for his undying admiration and unwavering respect. That night, the Foo Fighters were playing at the Metro, so I absolutely had to be there. After failing to score any tickets, I decided to just wait behind the venue for any sort of potential Foo sighting that may occur. After hours of waiting, Dave Grohl and Co. walk out of the Metro. In a stupor of euphoria, I belt out "Hey guys!" and Dave Grohl smiles and gives me a "Hey" right back. I suppose its the little things that count. Again, please watch the video, it goes into greater detail about my experience, and adds a couple, if not sensational, interesting stories. To clear up any concern, the Bright Eyes reference and Mountain Goats story happened on Friday, not Saturday.

Like 12 likes

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A Family Tradition Since 2007

by kate.mettam on may 27, 2012

I started attending Lollapalooza in the summer of 2006. I had just moved to the city with a roommate I barely knew and as a way of welcoming ourselves to our new home, we bought tickets. Sarah, my roommate invited some friends up from Mississippi to join us and the group of us spent one unbelievable weekend sharing music and laughs, some of the best memories of my life. I told my dad after the festival how much fun it was. Maybe I left out some details on some of the more “youthful” moments of revelry, but as a lifelong music fan I know he would appreciate my experience. He and my mom raised me and my brother to love music. On cross country road trips every summer, we rotated whose CD was played. It was the 90s and I remember my dad’s choices Neil Young, the Eagles, the Beatles, the Stones, Dylan. My brother and I chose more contemporary music; The Smashing Pumpkins, Counting Crows, The Wallflowers, and so on. When I was 17 my dad bought me my first Bowie album. Doing homework one night, he knocked on my door and handed me Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars. It might sound dramatic, but that album changed my life, and certainly the course of my music taste. When in August of 2006 I told my dad how much fun Lollapalooza had been recounting The Red Hot Chili Peppers amazing closing night show, the New Pornographers perfect sound, discovering for the first time The Hold Steady and Rainer Maria, the phone went silent. Slowly he very carefully said “Kate, I want you to be completely honest with me. What if your mother and I came next year?” I was being completely honest when without hesitation I said “Dad, yes.” Every year since 2007 my family has descended upon Chicago, making as much noise as the festival itself. It started small, my mom, my dad, my brother and a few of his friends. Throughout the years we have had cousins, aunts, uncles and far away friends join us. But the core, my family, we have been there every year. Now on our sixth year attending the festival as a group, it’s reached legendary status and shows no sign of stopping. Our 600 count email thread that starts in late August after the conclusions of that year’s festival and reaches a frenzy in the months approaching the next, keep me in touch with widespread family and friends. Coming to Lollapalooza every year is like coming home.

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2011

August 5, 2011 August 7, 2011

LOLLAPALOOZA TURNS TWENTY

Lollapaloozas 20th anniversary blowout was an epic experience, shattering fans and critics expectations with an explosive combination of music and community. With globe-straddling headliners supported by a diverse line-up of artists from countless different genres, Lollas birthday was a music lovers dream come true.

Fans delighted in the variety, dancing to electro-legends like Girl Talk and Skrillex over at Perrys, basking in the galaxy-sized rock spectacles of Foo Fighters and Muse as the sun set over the Chicago skyline and throwing down the gauntlet with Eminem and his raucous rhymes. Singing in the rain, nothing could keep the crowds from enjoying Lollas most incredible production yet: the celebration of two decades of making musical history with awesome artists and first-rate fans.

Lollas 20th anniversary was a banner year in more ways than one. After rocking out fans in Chile in Marchs South American debut, Lolla announced a new version of the festival to take place in Sao Paolo, Brazil in 2012 making sure fans keep rocking in both hemispheres!

Festival highlight

EMINEM RETURNS TO THE MIDWEST

Any questions about whether or not Eminem still had his chops were quickly laid to rest when the rap hero took the stage Saturday night. Over sixty-five thousand people were treated to a flurry of the controversial rhyme-slingers hits, jamming out to chart-burners like "My Name Is" and "The Real Slim Shady. Joined on stage by special guests like Skylar Grey and Bruno Mars, Marshall Mathers had no trouble getting 130,000 hands in the air.

FOO FIGHTERS ROCK IN THE RAIN

Rain couldnt keep bands and fans from drenching themselves in great music. Action-packed performances by The Foo Fighters and Cage the Elephant took advantage of the downpour to amp up the rock 'n' roll drama.

COLDPLAY'S FIRST LOLLA SET

Leading up to the release of their much talked-about fifth studio album Mylo Xyloto, Coldplay was on a mission to blow minds at Grant Park. Their set was Brit-rock at its finest, pitch-perfect and poignant, striking high notes with hits like Clocks and Yellow along with their recently released single Every Teardrop Is A Waterfall. Closing with a touching tribute to fallen star Amy Winehouse, it was hard to find a fan that wasnt moved by their performance.

Culturally Speaking

  • Arcade Fire wins Album of the Year Grammy for The Suburbs.
  • A revolution in Egypt signals the start of the Arab Spring.
  • Charlie Sheen goes on a winning streak.
  • A 9.1-magnitude earthquake and subsequent tsunami hits the east of Japan.
  • President Obama releases his birth certificate in an effort to end an escalating controversy.
  • Two billion people watch the wedding of Prince William, Duke of Cambridge and Catherine Middleton in London.
  • Osama bin Laden bites the dust in Pakistan.
  • Space Shuttle Atlantis lands successfully at Kennedy Space Center, concluding NASA's space shuttle program.
  • Singer Amy Winehouse dies at 27.
  • NASA obtains photographic evidence of possible liquid water on Mars.

tour stops + dates

August 5-7, 2011
Grant Park, Chicago, IL

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